I regret the name I gave my child

Baby name regret is more common than you may think. A BabyCentre survey found that one-in-eight parents regrets their choice of baby name.

Some parents feel they've been pressured into a name and it just never quite seems right. For others, the regret is entirely unexpected.

"When I named my son, I had no idea how many girls were named the same thing," says BabyCentre mum Louise. Others realise later on that their child's name is either too common or too unique for their taste.

Many parents who have doubts about their name choice admit that if they could go back in time, they would pick a different name. If you regret the name you picked out for your child, there's hope. Nicknames can offer some great choices.

Fortunately, many nicknames sound nothing like the name from which they were derived, which can make them more palatable to you. Gertrude, for example, can become Trudy, William can become Liam, and Emily can become Mimi.

"We named our son Broderick, but now I have doubts about it," says Sandra. "So we call him Brody instead, which I like the sound of."

There are no hard and fast rules for nicknaming, so be as creative as you like! Some parents even end up calling their child a nickname that has nothing to do with their given name, like Buddy or Sunshine.

If you and your partner both like your baby's middle name, consider using it as her main name.

This may create a bit of logistical confusion when it comes to school and other administrative formalities, so make sure you're prepared to deal with that. But once you get used to the extra explaining, it will just become par for the course.

You have until six weeks after your baby is born to register his name. But even after this, there's no law that says you have to stick with a name you can't bear. If you feel very strongly, a legal name change might be the best cure for your remorse.

"We have friends who changed their son's name when he was nine months old", says Lindsey. "The new name definitely fits him better, and they're glad they did it."

Whatever you decide to do, be it adopting a nickname, taking the middle name route, or making a formal name change, it'll be much easier on your child if you take care of it as early as possible.

Names are important to our sense of self and identity, so it's best to make any changes while your child is still a baby or, at the very latest, before she turns two.

Otherwise, it can be quite confusing for her. So don't let your naming remorse drag on. Hard as it may be, facing it now will save you from a much bigger headache later.

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